It never fails. Whenever I’m out with family and friends, the topic of weight loss always comes up. The conversation usually starts with, “Don’t judge me for what I’m about to eat“, as if I’m the food police. Truth be told, it’s none of my business what you eat.

As expected, while eating lunch with a friend a few weeks ago, she said, “I need to lose 15 pounds, what do you recommend?”

Among a host of other questions, I asked, “What’s your biggest challenge to losing weight?”

She said, “My biggest challenge is mindless snacking after dinner. I consume an additional 400-500 calories before bed. The funny thing is, I’m not even hungry!” Sounds familiar? I know I can relate!

Here’s the deal. Your body does not need copious amounts of energy at night. After dinner, most of us are done for the day. Once the dishes are put away and the table cleared, we make a beeline for the couch. If this is you, paired with mindless, excessive snacking, you willgain weight, not lose it.

Do you find yourself on the prowl after dinner? Searching through the pantry? Opening and closing the refrigerator?

If so, you’re in good company! If you want to end mindless, late night snacking, try one of my tried and true tips below.

Tip #1: Drink a cup of hot tea

Not only is drinking hot tea soothing, it also occupies your mind. When you’re preoccupied with not burning your tongue, you don’t have time to think about food.

Tip #2: Chew gum (contains an Amazon affiliate link)

One of my favorites! It tastes just like cake! (Tip: Sold at Target, possibly Walmart)

Tip #3: Flip through a magazine

Instead of prowling through the kitchen, skim Better Homes and Gardens, Ebony, Essence, Family Circle… I know you have a basket full of magazines nobody reads. 😉

Tip #4: Floss and brush your teeth

Not only can flossing and brushing your teeth be good for your waistline, it also prevents plaque build-up, which can lead to cavities, tooth decay, and gum disease. Tell you dentist hygienist I said, “you’re welcome!”

Tip #5: Set a time boundary

I do not eat past 8 PM unless I’m physically hungry – stomach growling, unable to concentrate, cranky. Setting a time boundary, whatever time works best for you, will give your food enough time to digest before going to bed. You’ll sleep better, and feel better, when undigested food isn’t sitting in your stomach. Moreover, setting a time boundary gives you a goal to accomplish each night. Who doesn’t like to feel accomplished?

//What are your tips for eliminating late night snacking? Which of these tips would best benefit you? Make your presence known in the comments below.

More than likely, you’re in one of two camps. The first camp is wondering, Who the heck is Esau? The second camp, while familiar with Esau, hesitantly answers, I don’t think so. Regardless of camp, keep reading. I promise there’s a lesson to be learned.

While I’ve read the story of Esau and Jacob many times, the story resonated with me in a fresh, new way while reading the Made To Crave devotional on the Holy Bible App (If you don’t have this app, download it now!). In Genesis 25, Esau arrives home after a long day of hunting, hungry and exhausted. In Esau’s distress, he trades his firstborn birthright for a measly bowl of soup.

Can I be vulnerable with you? A while back, I erroneously thought food was the problem. When I found myself head first in a family-size bag of nacho cheese Doritos (good, right?) or knee deep in a jar of peanut butter, I took it out on the food. No, I didn’t beat the food up silly. But, in that moment, I swore to never buy chips or peanut butter again. Talk about unrealistic! Clearly it was the food’s fault and had to be exiled from the pantry! Sounds familiar?

In my heart, I knew it wasn’t the food I craved. In Lysa Terkeurst’s book, Made To Crave, she helps women understand how cravings for lasting spiritual satisfaction are often mistaken for cravings for food. When I found a FREE 21 day devotional for Made To Crave on the Holy Bible App, I immediately started the plan. The devotional included the story of Esau and Jacob. I was tempted to skim over this particular day’s teaching. In my limited understanding, I couldn’t see how their story had anything to do with why I was constantly running to the pantry. I mean, Esau ate when he was hungry. Isn’t that the #1 diet rule, “Eat when you’re hungry”?Tried that. Didn’t work for me. Moving on… While my flesh was beckoning me to move on, my Spirit was gently prompting me to be still. To receive what God was waiting to show me.

It clicked. I was just like Esau. While Esau traded his birthright, I traded my desire to be healthy and whole. I turned to Doritos and peanut butter instead of the God of all comfort. I’m willing to bet you’re guilty too. You turn to temporary comfort instead of THE comforter. In verse 32, Esau goes on to say, “Look, I’m dying of starvation! What good is my birthright to me now?” Like you, Esau wasn’t concerned about the future. He was simply focused on the now. What would make him feel good in the moment.

//So, are you like Esau? When it comes to being healthy, are you turning to temporary comfort? What about other areas in your life. Believe it or not, it’s all connected. Leave me a comment below, or email me at teawithtiffanyp@gmail.com, it would be an honor to help you.

I can’t remember the last time I’ve eaten at Burger King. Back in the day, I would’ve gone there at least once a week. Whopper combo with cheese add mayo, anyone?

Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks. 1 Timothy 4:4

Before I lose you. There’s nothing wrong with Burger King. Food is a good gift from a good Father. It’s you and I who are good at turning a good thing into a bad thing. Food is one of those things.

If you’re thinking, “I knew it! Fast food isn’t bad!” Wayment. Hold your horses. Before you get too far down Freedom Lane, let’s take a quick look at another scripture.

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

If by consuming large amounts of fast food you’re honoring God with your body, more power to ya girlfriend! … God came to give us an abundant life. An abundant life does not include: diabetes, obesity, or high blood pressure. I’d say, that’s a very limiting life. Ain’t nobody got time for that!

Fortunately, I’m here to help you! The next time you’re tempted to swing through a fast food drive-thru, swing by the grocery store instead. Pick up 1lb of ground beef, sirloin or chuck with at least 20% fat (fat is not the enemy) and hamburger buns (I like these). Then give my base, go-to juicy hamburger recipe a twirl.

About two years ago, I was a wreck. What I thought should’ve been one of the most satisfying times of my life, wasn’t. I’d just become a professional bodybuilder. A goal I’d devoted myself to for three long years. During those three years, there were two things I thought about most. In fact, I was overly obsessed with ’em. My life. My thoughts. My days. My nights. They all consisted of these two things.

Something was wrong with me. I needed to make some changes; however, I wasn’t ready to let go. My Spirit and my flesh were battling it out! Around this time, I stumbled upon, or better stated, God directed my attention to, a post on Instagram from Revelation Wellness. I went to their website. I browsed their profile. I was drawn to their approach, using fitness as a tool to share the good, gospel message; however, I wasn’t ready to receive it. I brushed it off. That works for them. It wouldn’t work for me… Fitness was my way of manipulating my body. It didn’t have nothing to do with the gospel.

Months passed and my two obsessions were weighing me down. I couldn’t take it any more. I was out of control. I literally felt as if I was going crazy. The way in which I was behaving wasn’t normal. Well, I take that back. Actually, considering the circumstances (not eating enough and exercising way too much), my behavior (binge eating) was normal; however, I wasn’t living in freedom.

The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. John 10:10

If you’re like me, you’ve never considered yourself as the thief discussed in this scripture. However, I was (am) the thief. I was allowing my obsession with food and my body to steal, kill, and destroy my freedom, and essentially my joy. While the women of Revelation Wellness weren’t ripped and shredded, promoting six pack abs and hardcore workouts, they were all overflowing with joy. While joy was exactly what I desperately craved, I wasn’t excited to give up the body I’d worked so hard to attain. Hmmmm, joy or the “perfect” body? I was torn.

Whatever is obtained in the flesh, will require the flesh to sustain it. Whatever is obtained by the Spirit, our gracious Father will sustain.

I’d spent many, many years building this body of mine; however, my flesh was failing me. It was growing tired and weary. I knew I wouldn’t be able to maintain this level of fitness and food restriction for a lifetime. I let go. I surrendered. I must be honest with you. It’s an ongoing battle. Surrendering isn’t a one and done type deal. Each day, it’s a lying down of my cross and following The One. Choosing to do things His way. Not my own.

Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5

Apart from God we can do nothing; NO-THING. Yet knowing this, we still embark upon our wellness journey alone. We fail to include God in the process. Instead of seeking Him first. We turn to Google instead. You can continue to search the Google god for the latest and greatest weight loss plans but I guarantee none of ’em will produce lasting results. Jesus is the missing link. Like me, you know how to lose weight. You know whole foods are a better than processed foods. You know exercise is good for you. Knowing all these things, you still don’t do ’em. Why? Because your mind is in need of a transformation. You won’t find that type of transformation online. The Google god ain’t got nothing on our creator God.

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2

//Have you been trying to lose weight on your own to no avail? Where do you need God’s help? If you feel inclined, please share with me in the comments below, or email me at teawithtiffanyp@gmail.com, I would love to be praying with you.

“I feel fat!” If you’re anything like me, you’ve uttered these three words far more than you care to admit. While we know fat isn’t a feeling, it doesn’t stop us from using it to express emotion. What do we really mean when we say, “I feel fat”? Today I’ll share what I discovered. Perhaps you’ll find, you mean the same thing too.

I became a detective and investigated the causes of “feeling fat”. I uncovered the following scenarios led to this false emotion:

Eating an “off limits” food

Overeating

Weight gain

Tight fitting clothes

Comparing my body to hers, or a past version of myself

Stomach jiggling as the car hits a bump in the road (Yours too?)

When I say “I feel fat,” I really mean, I’m disappointed. Good or bad, consciously or subconsciously, we hold ourselves to unrealistic standards. We somehow convince ourselves that we should be the same size we were in high school. That we should never gain a pound or go up a pant size. That if we just had more willpower, we wouldn’t overeat. That if we try hard enough, we’ll eventually love kale salads as much as we love cheeseburgers. #lies Unfortunately, when our reality doesn’t match our fantasy, we’re disappointed.

There’s nothing wrong with you. You.are.human! I know… I know.. You already know this but it’s worth elaborating on… Humans gain weight. Humans overeat. Humans have fat on their bodies. Humans grow out of their clothes. Humans compare themselves to other humans. Humans have flesh that jiggles. It’s OK. All these situations are perfectly normal. You are normal.

I only felt fat once in my life… said no one ever. As women, many of us wrestle with “feeling fat” all the time; however you can’t allow your feelings to dictate your identity. Who you are isn’t found in the number on the inside tag of your jeans.

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5

You know how to lose weight. You know what to eat. What not to eat. How much to eat… Have you ever considered, “If I know all these things, why do I continue to feel stuck no matter what I weigh?” It’s because you haven’t mastered your mind. The battlefield is in your mind, not on a scale. You know a lot about changing the outside but nothing about changing the inside. You can be in the best shape of your life, but if your thoughts don’t change, you’ll never be content. Your thoughts will scream you’re not good enough at a size 22 and a size 2. What will you believe? Can your thoughts be trusted? Are they true? It’s the unchanging truth in God’s word that sets us free from “feeling fat”. He says,

Sisters, what God says about you will never change. When you feel fat and begin to think insecure and ugly thoughts about yourself and your body, take those thoughts captive. Remember how God feels about you–we are free! In our body image struggle, He has already won. In God’s word, there’s perfect peace and great contentment even on the days when we “feel fat”.

Can you relate to anything mentioned in this post? If so, I would love to hear about it in the comments below. Don’t feel comfortable writing a public comment? No problem. Email me at teawithtiffanyp@gmail.com. I’ll respond either way. Talk soon!

Prior to crying myself to sleep that night, I ate uncontrollably. Sure I’d been under eating and over training for months but I wasn’t eating to satisfy hunger. I was eating to fill a void. … It wasn’t food my flesh craved. It craved attention. I wanted to be seen. To be known. To be valued. As I lie in bed, uncomfortably full, I wondered, “How did I get here?” …I’d allowed my own desires to drag me away.

“Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.” James 1:14

One day while scrolling my Facebook timeline, I saw a transformation picture of a college friend. She had the body of a fitness model. “Oooo, I wanna look like that!”, I thought to myself. If she could transform her body, I could too. I hurriedly sent her a private message. I needed all the deets (details)! I learned that she’d just competed in her first bodybuilding competition where she received a first place trophy. I explained to her that I didn’t care about winning, at least not initially. I was after the body. The abs and muscles would be my trophy. Within hours I was online searching for a bodybuilding coach.

“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.” Exodus 20:4

My body had become my idol (Note: God revealed this truth to me during an 8 week faith based wellness program, now Wellness Revelation). I spent thousands of dollars on coaching, hundreds of dollars on supplements, hours in the kitchen cooking, hours lifting weights, and hours and hours of cardio. Finally! It was show day. I was nervous and excited. I was excited to show off my hard earned work. Surprisingly, I walked away with two first place trophies and an overall win that night. That was a BIG deal! Most competitors don’t place at their first competition. I quickly went from having no expectation of winning to striving to become a professional bodybuilder.

I was totally obsessed with my body and overflowing with pride. In my mind, I was the best! I went into the next competition confident I would leave a professional bodybuilder by securing first place. There was no doubt in my mind. I quickly shelled out a couple more thousand dollars for coaching, flights, a hotel room, tanning, makeup and a photo shoot in preparation for the competition. It wasn’t a big deal because I just knew it would pay off. I would become a professional bodybuilder, obtain endorsements, quit my job, become a fitness model, travel the world, and live happily ever after. … So I thought.

I stood on stage anxiously awaiting my number to be called. It never was. Myself, along with a handful of girls, tied for last place. I was devastated! I cried myself to sleep that night. That night, I made it my mission to prove to those judges I would become a professional bodybuilder. Five competitions, and an emptied savings account later, I finally reached my goal. I was awarded the coveted “pro card.” I expected to be on cloud nine. I wasn’t. I ended up where I started this blog post, lying in bed, uncomfortably full, crying. I cried out to God, “How did I get here? Why did you allow this to happen to me? Where did I go wrong? I was so stupid!”

After earning my pro card, people anticipated I would compete at the professional level. After all, why would anyone subject themselves to everything I’d gone through if I was never going to compete professionally? But, they didn’t know the pact I’d made with God. That night in my dark hotel room, I surrendered. I didn’t want to lead anymore. For two long years, I’d been in the driver’s seat. That night, I pulled over and God returned back to His rightful place, head of my life.

So, how do you know when to walk away?

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

If it doesn’t bring glory and honor to God, it’s time to walk! Point. Blank. Period. That goes for anything in life – friendships, relationships, jobs, etc. My pursuit of becoming a bodybuilder only honored me. I don’t care how many times I posted a picture to social media, showing my abs, with the caption, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” it still wasn’t God.

People may be pure in their own eyes,but the Lord examines their motives. Proverbs 16:2

All that time, I was searching for something I already had through Christ. I’m known (Psalm 139:1) and I’m a winner (Romans 8:37). Have you been like me, searching for something you already have in Christ?

Most gracious God, thank you for being a wonderful Father who loves us unconditionally. May we come to know, and experience, the glorious gifts we already have in You. Strengthen and empower us by your Spirit to walk away from anything that doesn’t bring glory and honor to You. It’s our desire to please You more than anything in this world. We love You. In Christ name I pray, Amen.

Have you ever had to walk away from something big? I’d love to hear your story in the comments below.

Hey, I’m Tiffany!

I've been waiting for you. Thanks for stopping by! I'm a southern girl, residing in Sweet Home Alabama. I'm a Christian, wife (married to the most amazing man, Chris), health and fitness enthusiast, and blogger. I'm eager to share what God has placed on my heart. Why Tea With Tiffany P? I'm spilling all the tea! Click on the picture above.